AN: This story is Elphaba's side of the prequel to my first Wicked fic, 'No One Mourns the Wicked - But What About the Good?' Look for its sister fic, "There's a Couple of Things Get Lost", detailing Glinda's side of this story.
Just to remind you, this fic is based on the musical, where Elphaba suffers no ill-effects from contact with water.
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"There's a kind of a, sort of a cost."
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The rain makes a steady rhythm on the leaves above their heads as Elphaba and Fiyero slowly move through the dark forest. Fiyero is wrapped in Elphaba's cloak. It has turned out that his new body does not take well to excessive moisture. The fat drops that make it through the foliage soon soak Elphaba to the skin, while the moisture in the air takes its toll on Fiyero's straw, wilting it. Soon, they are both miserable and irritated.
"Can't we make camp here for the night? The rain is just getting worse." Elphaba calls ahead, to Fiyero. He is moving at a brisk pace, while Elphaba, soaked and exhausted, lags behind. Fiyero pauses to wait for her, and when she draws level with him, he starts ahead again.
"We can't stop until morning, Elphaba."
Elphaba sighs with frustration, and speeds her pace to stay next to Fiyero. "There aren't going to be any people in the forest tonight. It's pouring rain. We're well away from the city." She is beginning to regret their flight from Oz. Even though Fiyero's letter gave her a little time to prepare, she didn't gather anything. For all their plans to run away, Elphaba still feels like a part of her was stuck in Oz. She couldn't leave it, completely. She couldn't leave Glinda, completely. She wishes she had at least thought to grab her broomstick.
"All the better reason to get away now. I won't feel safe until we're completely out of Oz." Fiyero replies, without looking at her. Elphaba clenches her fists, biting back a sarcastic remark.
They keep travelling for most of the night, and the rain continues its ceaseless onslaught. Fiyero keeps the pace brisk, and Elphaba begins to wonder if his straw body ever tires. After a while, she is too tired to wonder about anything. Finally, about a hour before dawn, Fiyero slows to wait for her. Elphaba squints to make him out through the rain. He seems to waver in and out of her vision. What's going on? She makes note that the whole forest seems to be wavering, but somehow the thought doesn't concern her.
Fiyero turns back just in time to see Elphaba fall to her knees, and he quickly rushes to her side. "Elphaba?" He places his glove against her cheek, but he can't feel anything with his cloth limb. He helps her into a sitting position. "Damn, Elphaba, you're shivering."
Elphaba responds to his worried tone, trying to raise herself. "I'll be all right, Fiyero, I just need to rest for a minute." She says, weakly.
"No, you're freezing. How could I have been so stupid? I made you keep going." Fiyero removes the cloak from his shoulders and wraps it around Elphaba, providing her with some warmth, although the cloak is almost soaked through. "Lie down." He says, and Elphaba complies.
Fiyero begins to make camp. Neither of them notice the small tear in the fabric halfway up his arm.
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AN: I know I'm evil. I just love the cliffies too much.
Linz, I know it's the weekend and you might not get to read this for a while, but I miss you too! I'm marking the days off on my calendar until you get the internet back!
I have my sister to thank for this chapter. She proof-read, and helped me work out quite a few problems with this darn thing. Yay!
Thanks for reading.
Love,
B